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Topic: Ecumenism in a popular novel (Read 1802 times)

I don't know if any of you are familiar with the novel “Pierced by a Sword”. I read it some years ago. I won't get into the overall plot, I just want to quote 2 sections. On p. 94,

Quote

Within two months of becoming pope, Angus had the Catholic world distracted by his controversial appointments to various positions within the Vatican. Secretly, Angus was up to his old tricks. In a view he kept to himself, he saw the millennial long Schism between the Roman and Eastern Churches as a problem as scandalous as the Irish Troubles, only writ large. He began to disappear for days at a time, sometimes in disguise. He started using his tremendous language skills to “attack” the leaders of the Eastern Orthodox churches.

He began sending letter, notes, and gifts. He scheduled informal, secret meetings. The new pope saw nothing wrong with calling Eastern leaders for advice, which he found helpful and they found refreshing.

A simple form letter to his Carmelite Army, laser printed on handsome papal stationery, quickly deployed prayer troopers in cloistered battlefronts. He thought peace would take years, even decades, but found his entreaties well received from the get go.

Pope Patrick was just doing his job.

The Eastern Orthodox are mentioned again on pp. 186-187, in a newspaper article about the supposed death of said pope:

Quote

Luigi Cardinal Casino said in a press conference held in the Vatican several hours after the tragedy that Pope Patrick, formerly Angus Cardinal O'Hara of Dublin, was an exceptionally gifted leader during his eighteen month reign. He noted that the Vatican would cooperate in the international manhunt to find the pope's killers, and vowed to continue Pope Patrick's work to reunite the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Sources within the Vatican report that Cardinal Casino is the most likely replacement for Pope Patrick, and is highly respected in both secular and religious circles.

Observers say that the controversial “Byzantine Protocol”, a formal agreement to reunite the churches for the first time since 1054 A.D., was within months of completion. Casino, fighting back tears, had no comment when asked whether the Byzantine Protocol negotiations would continue on schedule.

The Eastern Orthodox are mentioned again on pp. 186-187, in a newspaper article about the supposed death of said pope:

Quote

Luigi Cardinal Casino said in a press conference held in the Vatican several hours after the tragedy that Pope Patrick, formerly Angus Cardinal O'Hara of Dublin, was an exceptionally gifted leader during his eighteen month reign. He noted that the Vatican would cooperate in the international manhunt to find the pope's killers, and vowed to continue Pope Patrick's work to reunite the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Sources within the Vatican report that Cardinal Casino is the most likely replacement for Pope Patrick, and is highly respected in both secular and religious circles.

Observers say that the controversial “Byzantine Protocol”, a formal agreement to reunite the churches for the first time since 1054 A.D., was within months of completion. Casino, fighting back tears, had no comment when asked whether the Byzantine Protocol negotiations would continue on schedule.

This is a little off-topic, but there's another interesting sentence, 3 sentences after the last one I quoted:

Quote

Vatican watchers also noted that the pontiff had drawn fire from critics within the Catholic Church for his elevation of the doctrine of the Mother of God as Mediatrix of All Graces to "infallible" status only three months into his pontificate.

Haven't read it, sorry I got turned off to religious novels a long while back when an acquaintance of mine took shots at Catholicism for no reason other than to take shots at Catholicism in a book that she had written. Dumb reason to stop reading an entire subgenre, but it left that bad a taste in my mouth.

Hi biro. I'm curious: were you interested in “Pierced by a Sword” already, or did you become interested in it after I mentioned it?

I heard about it a year or two ago, after I listened to an audio lecture from a conference on eschatology. Sandra Miesel mentioned the book, among other things, during her talk.

Fr. Patrick Reardon spoke during the day as well (although he didn't talk about 'Pierced'). The conference is available at a website called Orthodox Chrisitan Cassettes (and no, I don't work for them).

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My only weakness is, well, never mind

He said he had a horrible houseI looked in it and learnt to shut my mouth

Hi biro. I'm curious: were you interested in “Pierced by a Sword” already, or did you become interested in it after I mentioned it?

I heard about it a year or two ago, after I listened to an audio lecture from a conference on eschatology. Sandra Miesel mentioned the book, among other things, during her talk.

Fr. Patrick Reardon spoke during the day as well (although he didn't talk about 'Pierced'). The conference is available at a website called Orthodox Chrisitan Cassettes (and no, I don't work for them).

Interesting. I've never heard of Sandra Miesel, but I know who Fr. Reardon is. Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think I was recommending it (because I called it "popular").

But anyhow, my reason for starting this thread ... well, partly it was for comic relief* ... but there was also a point: I find that a lot of people on this forum have a certain perception of ecumenism. "Pierced by a Sword" describes a playing-out of that "ecumenism".

* I like to imagine John Paul II (who was the pope at the time) reading that book and saying "That's it. I should call up Eastern leaders and ask for advice, and send letter, notes, and gifts. Then we'll all be united in no time. Why didn't I ever think of that?"

But anyhow, my reason for starting this thread ... well, partly it was for comic relief* ... but there was also a point: I find that a lot of people on this forum have a certain perception of ecumenism. "Pierced by a Sword" describes a playing-out of that "ecumenism".

Logged

My only weakness is, well, never mind

He said he had a horrible houseI looked in it and learnt to shut my mouth